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Douglas Hulick
Douglas Hulick is the author of the Tales of the Kin series. His debut novel, Among Thieves, the first book in the series, is published by Roc/Penguin in the United States, and by Tor/Macmillan in the United Kingdom and Australia. Douglas Hulick was born in Fargo, ND, but spent much of his life moving about the Midwest. Somehow, he kept ending up in the vicinity of Chicago, IL, which helps explain his abiding love of deep-dish pizza, Ferris Bueller, and Goose Island beer. Growing up, there were always books in the house, and Douglas was encouraged to read both through example, as well as by the general policy of the house, which was that the answer was never “No” when it came to getting more books. Toys, games, and so on could be “no”, but not books. You see where this is going, yes? Given this background, it was only logical that Douglas entered the University of Illinois with a dual major in computer science and mathematical theory–logical, that is, when you consider he changed majors within a year. After a few early academic hiccups (he got kicked out of school), as well as four different majors (psychology, business, liberal arts, and pre-law), Douglas settled into the study of history, with a minor in english. A Bachelor of Arts degree was eventually achieved, followed by a Master’s in medieval history at New Mexico State University. A PhD at an Ivy League university was considered, then happily discarded, after as year of study. Needless to say, with his broad and varied academic background, it was only a matter of time before Douglas followed the storied path of so many Liberal Arts majors and took whatever the hell job he could find. Stints as a waiter, bartender, bookstore manager, pizza delivery driver, brewery worker, freelance RPG writer, and technical/business writer followed, until Douglas finally settled into the one career he seemed destined for: stay-at-home dad. Somewhere along the way, a copy of “A Dictionary of the Underworld” by Eric Partridge fell into Douglas’s hands. Having sold a few fantasy short stories, Douglas thought a book that defined historical thieves cant (criminal jargon) and described some of the practices of that world might come in handy at some point. Little did he know. Among Thieves, his first novel, grew out of this unlikely seed over the course of a decade. It was acquired by Roc/Penguin U.S.A. on Douglas’s 44th birthday in 2009. Douglas lives with his wife and two sons in Minnesota. When not writing or chasing after his kids, he likes to practice and teach 17th century Italian rapier combat (in the tradition of Ridolfo Capoferro), cook, read, and hang out in coffee shops.Douglas Hulick's Offical Webpage He is a longtime member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), where he is known as Master Simon Morcar.SCA author publishes fantasy novel | SCAtoday.net The SCA practices rapier fencing as a serious competitive martial art, of which Hulick participates regularly and is highly accomplished, having being awarded the White Scarf, their highest honor.The Order of the White Scarf of Northshield - Don Simon Morcar